How we each may develop a conscious connection with the individual vertebrae of the spine is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious.

Our guest is Conna-Lee Weinberg, author of “Mindful Spine: Movement from the Inside Out – Connecting the Brain and the Spinal Vertebrae.” Weinberg has over 30 years of experience as a psychophysical educator for Olympic and high-performance athletes.

Weinberg asserts that the spine overtly regulates our movements from birth until we begin to crawl and walk. She believes that beginning when we crawl, the spine becomes subordinate to our muscles in controlling our movement. This may result in sciatica, scoliosis, and other painful and sometimes debilitating conditions.

Weinberg believes that by learning to consciously direct or move the individual spinal vertebrae, with an intention similar to learning to ride a bicycle or moving a cup to our lips, we would be able to avoid, among other issues, the back pain too many of us suffer. You may find further information at her website mindfulspine.com.

When Conna-Lee Weinberg visited the Radio Curious Studios on June 11, 2017, she demonstrated her personal ability to separately move the individual vertebrae of her spine. In addition, she moved several vertebrae at the same time to imitate scoliosis. She and I began our visit with her description of the Eureka moment when she learned that she could intentionally move her own spinal vertebrae.

The book Conna-Lee Weinberg recommends is: “The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science,” by Norman Doidge.